LOS ANGELES -- Baseball refused to grant Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Adrian Beltre free agency Tuesday, a move that will almost certainly lead to a grievance from the players' association.

	Beltre

Commissioner Bud Selig admitted Beltre was 15 when he was signed, a year younger than baseball's rules permit, but said the player participated in the scheme and made the claim for free agency too late.

"You waited five years to bring your claim," Selig wrote in a five-page letter to Beltre, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "Your claim is more than four years too late. ... Lack of awareness is not a valid justification or excuse. ... It defied credibility that you were unaware of the age limits at the time of your signing and remained so for almost five years."

The Dodgers were fined $50,000, according to a high-ranking baseball official who spoke on the condition he not be identified. Los Angeles was ordered to pay Beltre $48,500, according to Selig's letter.

In addition, Selig banned the Dodgers from scouting or signing any amateur players who reside in the Dominican Republic for one year, and told the team it must close its Dominican Republic training camp at Campo Las Palmas for one year.

Selig also told Ralph Avila, the semiretired vice president of Campo Las Palmas, he must serve a one-year suspension if he ever returns to baseball, another baseball official said, also on the condition of anonymity. Pablo Peguero, the scout who signed Beltre, was suspended for a year, the second source said.

Beltre and his agent, Scott Boras, claimed the Dodgers knew Beltre was underage when they signed him in 1994. Selig, in his letter to Beltre, cited five instances in which Beltre indicated his birth date was April 7, 1978, rather than April 7, 1979.

"These documents demonstrate your awareness that the Dodgers had falsified your birth date and that you, at least at times, were cooperating in that deception."

When Beltre signed, he received a $17,000 signing bonus. Selig estimated Beltre would have gotten $50,000 if he had signed the following year and awarded him the difference -- $33,000 -- plus $15,500 for estimated interest.

Beltre hit .275 with 15 homers, 67 RBI and 18 steals this year in his first full season with the Dodgers.

"In light of the evidence, we're very disappointed," Boras said. "On the other hand, we knew this is one step of the process. To get to a neutral decision-maker, we had to go through this step in the process."

The players' association is moving toward filing a grievance, which would move the matter before Shaym Das, baseball's independent arbitrator.

"Obviously, we want to move quickly," said Gene Orza, the union's No. 2 official. "We also want to give the decision the attention it deserves. We're going to study it, interview the players, do some legal analysis, make sure we're on firm ground. I assume we'll have an answer within 48 hours."

The Dodgers admitted during the investigation they had purposely falsified Beltre's birth date and signed the player in 1994 when he was 15.

"This is a serious violation of major-league baseball rules," Selig said in a statement. "There are those who would like to dismiss this kind of behavior as 'business as usual.' We will not allow such an attitude to prevail in our game, and we will vigorously enforce the rules.

"Although these violations occurred under prior ownership, the club must accept responsibility for the consequences of the acts, no matter when they were committed."

The Fox division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. purchased the Dodgers from Peter O'Malley's family in March 1998.

Selig invoked Major League Rule 22 (c), which provides that "any disputed monetary claim, claim for free agency or complaint which any party may desire to submit for consideration, action or decision by the Commissioner must be presented within one year from the date the claim arose."

"We ... will abide by his findings and his rulings," Dodgers president Bob Graziano said. "The Dodgers respect and strongly endorse the rules and regulations of Major League Baseball, and we fully intend to comply with those rules. We have and will continue to improve our structure and to strengthen our policies so that similar issues will not arise in the future."

Said Los Angeles general manager Kevin Malone: "We respect Adrian as an individual and a ballplayer and we're pleased he will remain in a Dodger uniform in 2000."

Selig did not return a call seeking comment. The Dodgers said the two suspended scouts were in the Dominican Republic and not available for comment.

Earlier this year, the team lost two Cuban players because they signed before they were 16. Infielder Juan Diaz and outfielder Josue Perez were declared free agents by Selig, and the Dodgers were fined $200,000. Perez later signed with Philadelphia for $850,000.

Selig ordered the Dodgers to pay Beltre the $48,500 by Jan. 31, but said they could hold off on the payment if the decision is challenged.